Among the injuries to affect the Los Angeles Dodgers, losing Dustin May to Tommy John surgery was arguably the most impactful.
May earned the fifth spot in the starting rotation and he began to build on a successful showing in 2020. However, he suffered an injury in his May 1 outing against the Milwaukee Brewers and wound up undergoing Tommy John surgery.
That ended May’s season at just five starts and has him out until some time after the 2022 MLB All-Star Game. The right-hander played catch last November for the first time since the operation, and is continuing to recover.
The latest look at May’s progress came via a social media post that showed him “slowly but surely” building up with a throwing program.
Slowly but surely 🐢 #80poo pic.twitter.com/9Ojb1mfWiD
— Dustin May (@d_maydabeast) February 2, 2022
May went 1-1 with a 2.74 ERA and 0.96 WHIP last season. He showed improved command and pitch sequencing, and increased his strikeouts per nine innings to 13.7, which was a notable jump from averaging 7.1 the season prior.
Although there was an initial expectation players rehabbing from injury would be permitted to use team facilities during the MLB lockout, that is not the case. Under normal circumstances, it’s likely May would have carried out the rehab process at Camelback Ranch and been reunited with teammates in a matter of weeks as Spring Training camps are due to open.
May struggling with timeline
Even with May sharing positive updates on his recovery, he previously admitted to the lengthy process being a struggle because of limitations in place and not being able to contribute for the Dodgers for at least several more months.
Considering the timeline for a return will likely stretch into the second half of the 2022 season, it’s plausible May might end up pitching out of the bullpen this year.
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